


You Between My Arms

by FaiaSakura



Series: Never Fall Apart [3]
Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Benally, Dancing, Gally's Brew, M/M, Sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-06 22:18:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15204653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaiaSakura/pseuds/FaiaSakura
Summary: Pink and purple tint the sky as the sun gently sinks lower and lower. Gally wraps his arms around Ben’s waist in a close embrace with his chin hooked over Ben’s shoulder.Or, unrepentant fluff involving a sunset.--Unconnected stories set in an AU where everyone (except WCKD) lives and makes it to Safe Have/Paradise. Everyone.





	1. my future in your eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KathSilver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KathSilver/gifts).



> KATH, CONGRATS ON GETTING MARRIED!! To celebrate, I wrote your requested sunset and giggling Ben prompt. 
> 
> Thank you to birdienz and anglophileadventures for last minute beta help! ❤️

“In two weeks, party at the hilltop meadow. You’re providing drinks.” Brenda drops down unannounced beside where Gally is sitting.

“Excuse me?” Gally uses his best deadpan voice, but it seems to have no effect. Brenda gives him a matching blank stare before they both snort with laughter. Gally tries again, this time with a teasing tone, “Hello Brenda, how are you. Fine weather we’re having. Yes, I would love to be voluntold to bring drinks to some mysterious party I haven’t heard about until now.”

They’re both grinning by the end of the spiel. It’s easy, talking with Brenda. They’ve got the same brusque humor and neither of their troubled pasts has anything to do with the other. But this time, he really doesn’t know what she’s talking about, so he quirks an eyebrow at her.

“I’m thinking, since the last of your friends get off medical rest soon, we should celebrate! Sunset picnic party at the grassy clearing on that one hill where Winston declared himself a pineapple warrior.” Gally had almost managed to forget that incident and doesn't comment. Her idea is not a bad one – pretty good in fact – and that Brenda is the one who thought of it speaks volumes about how much she’s healed in the short time since reaching Safe Haven. From what Gally knows, she had to look out for Jorge and herself above all else – no other family or friends, with no space in their hearts to care for more people in that cruel world. Of course, it was probably Thomas who inspired most of the change in her.

“Okay, how many people we talking about?” He starts taking mental stock of what liquor he’s already made – not that much, his priorities have been elsewhere.

“All of your Maze, and all of Harriet’s.” She’s a bit sheepish when she says it, knowing exactly how many people that will be.

“Guess I know what I’m doing for the rest of the week.” If he gets things fermenting in the next few days, he should be able to distill the spirits in time. He bids goodbye to Brenda under pretenses that he is busy but first heads off to check on Ben.

Ben is playing cards with Alby when Gally gets to the medical tent. Before he can announce his presence, Ben is already turning around, as if he has a sixth sense just for Gally, and beams up from where he’s sitting.

“Hey, should you have done that?” Gally refers to how Ben and Alby have combined their beds to have an adequate surface to play cards on. There’s no heat in his admonishment though, and in the next beat he sits to Ben’s side to meet in the middle for a kiss. The kiss lasts for a single heartbeat, but Gally wishes it could last forever. He will never not cherish every moment he gets to have with Ben.

When they part, Gally looks towards Alby, seeing if he’ll comment. While Gally and Ben, and other pairings, had been known the in Glade, Alby had always advised caution in being in romantic entanglements for all the Gladers – nothing was more painfully awkward than the aftermath of a breakup when trapped together in walled nightmare. For Keepers, there was an additional expectation to not be too public with affections so no one could question their judgment and hypothetical impartiality. Gally had understood those unofficial rules and lived by them just as he had with the actual rules, but now that level of strictness is no longer needed.

Despite Gally’s lingering concerns, Alby makes no acknowledgment of what Gally is thinking, just gives a soft “hey” in greeting and asks if he wants to be dealt in next round. Ben protests Gally’s question, saying how they aren’t invalids and moving a bit of furniture isn’t going to make them keel over.

“Look at these muscles!” Ben flexes his arms. “Not even all those months under can do me in.”  _ Months under _ was a horribly blasé way to reference how Grievers had “eaten” many of the Gladers; not killing the boys but instead storing them in internal cavities, and transporting them to a different facility for blood harvest. The entire purpose had been to test the difference in enzyme production between those subjects who believed they had escaped their hellish nightmare, versus those who believed they had died trying.

Gally has other things to do than hover over Ben, especially since Ben will be released by Mary in a few days anyway. He needs to finalize what the housing arrangements will be after everyone is released, collaborate on what they’re going to do with the then-unnecessarily-large medical tents, and plan for additional smaller structures since the communal housing will only work for so much longer. Then there’s all the all the supplies he’ll need to collect from the kitchens and food storage folks – probably Frypan, or Alice if he has to – in order to brew enough liquor for over sixty people. Plain liquor would be pretty boring though, so Gally will need access to sufficient fruits for doing different infusions.

Gally glances at Ben – a mistake. Ben hasn’t spoken but the look on his face is yearning. He knows Gally has been busy and Ben won’t ask to impose on Gally’s time – as though Ben could ever be an imposition.  Ben’s face at the thought of Gally joining them, even for a short while, is enough for Gally to cave in and agree. It’s pointless for Gally to pretend he could ever say no to Ben.

“I can play a round.”

\--

“Remind me again why we have to have this at the grassy clearing at the  _ top _ ?” Gally wipes beads of sweat off his forehead in between stacking more boxes on the cart. Having a party at the top of a trail means having to bring all the supplies up and the path is only wide enough to drive up until the halfway point.

“You know it’ll be worth it once we get everything set up.” Gally won’t admit it, but privately he agrees; the view will be spectacular. Brenda puts the final box for this load on the cart and they wheel it up together. The details for the party have, for the most part, been kept secret from the dozens of guests they’ll be expecting soon and the whole day has been those few in-the-know scrambling to get things ready.

Another hour passes before everything is ready to go – luckily the sun is still a respectable distance from the horizon.

“Hey, we’re doing a group hike to celebrate everyone being cleared from Medical! Group A and B, come on!” Harriet and Thomas work on rounding everyone up. Technically, Thomas shouldn’t have been part of planning, but he had managed to weasel the details out of Brenda and then been put to setting up a music speaker system with Jorge.

The raucous group goes towards the trailhead, slow and meandering, with a few protests sprinkled into the noise – not everyone is keen on the sizable trek up, but nobody gets left behind. Harriet leads the way, Sonya by her side as expected, Teresa on the other side – unexpected. Abject fury bubbles in Gally, hot and sticky, not unlike the boiling sugar he had seen Fry work with earlier: an automatic response to seeing Teresa. One day he might forgive her for all the trauma she was complicit in causing, but not anytime soon. He doesn’t consider further what she’s doing up with Harriet and Sonya and chooses to linger towards the back, with his boys.  _ His boys _ , who he has forgiven and been forgiven by.

“Gally! What’s this really about?” Minho jogs up from behind, grin light and easy. Their friendship had been rebuilt as quickly as it had shattered, all the stronger now. “Thomas is terrible at keeping secrets, but he won’t tell me what’s happening. I know you’re in on it too.” A shoulder nudge to emphasize his point turns in arm half slung around Gally’s shoulder, dragging him down, when he realizes an answer isn’t forthcoming.

“You can’t wait like everyone else?” Gally teases. “Don’t worry, you’ll like it.” Minho doesn’t quite appreciate surprises after the past year’s trials and tribulations.

“Trying to take what’s mine? After all we’ve been through.” Ben jokingly calls out as he catches up with them. Gally turns to meet Ben as Minho releases the arm around him; his heart skips a beat the way it always does when Ben smiles at him. 

“Babe, like I would ever let Minho take me from you.” He grabs Ben’s hand, which is as warm and inviting as its owner and intertwines their fingers together.

“Hey, it could happen! Taking and breaking hearts all day, that’s me!” Minho’s protest fails to impress anyone.

Chuck, who has been lingering on the side, interrupts with “Minho, that was pretty bad, even for my standards.”

“A guy can’t win here.” Minho pouts for a moment before his grin breaks back through.

They finally reach the top and the site that greets them is a veritable delight on the senses: garlands of bright flowers strung along the tree line, mouth-watering scents wafting from the food and drinks that spill over makeshift tables, soft music filling the air as Jorge starts the speakers. But the crowning jewel of the moment is beyond the clearing, past the edge of the cliffside.

The burnished gold sun hovers low in the sky, just about to start dipping past the dormant volcanoes that dot the distance. It washes the usually verdant green jungle that stretches below the cliff with a mix of red and orange even as it paints the sky bronze.

“It’s beautiful”. The breathless wonder on Ben’s face is an equally stunning view as the one before them, making the effort of the past two weeks worth it.

They settle down together, Gally with his back against a tree and Ben nestled between his legs, to watch the dazzling display of colors. Pink and purple tint the sky as the sun gently sinks lower and lower. Gally wraps his arms around Ben’s waist in a close embrace with his chin hooked over Ben’s shoulder. If it’s overly warm with the sunshine directly on them and the ever-present humidity of the island, well, Ben makes no protests and just settles further into Gally.

When the sun has fully disappeared past the peaks of the volcanic mountaintops but the sky is still a haze of pastels, someone starts up the fire pits that have been set up strategically throughout the clearing. The quiet reverence that had taken over slowly breaks and the music is turned up.

Gally loses Ben at some point during the reverie after they’ve overindulged on the food, but is unconcerned – he catches flashes of Ben mingling and partying with others and is content to regale some of his former Builders with stories from his time with Lawrence outside the Last City. Beth drags him off for a series of increasingly ridiculous shenanigans, somehow leading to Gally losing his shoes and definitely needing a break from other people by the end. He takes a seat at one of the fire pits and watches the flames crackle. The flickering red, orange, and yellow are entrancing; Gally loses himself gazing at them in contemplation.

Greens in the Glade had always been tempered by the cold gray concrete of the Maze and desert dust had settled over everything in the Scorch like a muted yellow filter. In Paradise, the colors pop out: bright flowers blooming in all seasons, lush greenery of the expansive jungle, clear aquamarine waves crashing upon white sandy shores. Even the flames seem brighter, livelier, than before.

Familiar laughter cutting through his thoughts is the only warning Gally has before a giggling Ben almost falls on top of him. "Dance with me!" Ben is close enough that Gally can taste his breath, sweet puffs of air indicative of the pineapple infused moonshine Gally had prepared.

Ben clumsily drags him up and holds him close, arms around his neck, taking a moment to nuzzle at the junction of his neck and should. This leaves Gally to brace his hands at Ben's waist, gripping onto firm panes of muscle. The upbeat music in the background doesn't match at all the slower movements Ben is calling dancing but as Gally looks down at the bubbling mess of laughter he holds in his arms, he knows he is helpless to deny Ben this – to deny Ben anything, really.

Darkness has long since fallen, though the twinkling stars and glowing full moon shine bright above. Firelight dances in Ben’s eyes, even more entrancing than the flames had been. Gally almost melts under the shining adoration as he holds Ben’s gaze and wishes he could bottle up this moment – cool grass underneath his bare feet, Ben giggling in his arms, even the slow music that’s now playing – to keep him warm on a cold and rainy night.

For so long Gally had focused on the present at the exclusion of so many other parts of his life – now, he lets himself hope for a future.


	2. we'll be alright this time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! Forgot to mention in chapter 1 that this was inspired by the song Ed Sheeran song Perfect. Chapter 2 is unbetaed so let me know if anything is amiss!

Ben laughs as he trips over – he looks down – nothing. He notices both him and Gally are barefoot – that's why his feet are wet, from the damp grass – but he doesn't know what happened to Gally's shoes. Doesn't know what happened to his own shoes either. Gally tightens his grip on Ben's waist to prevent them from falling over.

It is possible Ben had too much to drink. Not that it takes very much in the first place, a point of personal frustration. Gally can knock back drink after drink and be ready to go bright and early the next morning, while Ben is entirely too affected by each drink. Maybe that last mashed watermelon cocktail with was one too many.

Other than almost knocking them over, being drunk isn't so bad. Ben feels floaty, like he has the freedom to fly off to anywhere he likes, but also grounded, because where else would he want to be when he's here in Gally's arms? It's so nice here, and Gally is the best, even when Ben is  _ such a mess _ .

Words brush against his ears to send shivers down his spine. “You're not a mess, Benny, you're perfect, always.” Whoops. Ben must have said that last bit out loud.

Ben looks back up to meet Gally's eyes and lets himself sink into that tender warmth Gally only ever directs towards him. He laughs in response and pulls Gally in closer until their dancing is pretty much just hugging while swaying to the music. He's not letting Gally go. Not again, not now, not ever.

There had been words left unsaid, in the Glade. Even when Ben was facing his death, raving like a beast after being Stung, he couldn't say them. Or maybe especially because Ben was facing his death. These words would have done more harm than help and Ben had had enough clarity to know he didn’t want to compromise Gally in those final moments. But there's an entire world of new chances and opportunities now.

"Gally." Ben thinks he's talking out loud. He needs to convey how much he feels. "Love you." There. Probably. Gally's ear is right next to Ben's mouth, he said it out loud. That's how it works, right?

The hands on Ben's waist hold him even tighter and Gally stiffens in Ben's own arms. "You're drunk." Gally sounds off. Ben pouts. Of course, Ben is–

– _ Oh. _

Gally doesn't think Ben meant to say it. Or worse, doesn't mean it at all. How ridiculous. Of course, Ben loves him. But Gally has always used a loud bravado of confidence to hide his low self-esteem. A smokescreen of sorts, to cover up his vulnerable emotions with. Gally probably is thinking something that is as silly as it is sad, like he doesn't deserve love. But Ben  _ is _ drunk, making the likelihood of Gally taking him seriously rather low. Ben will just have to say it again when he’s sober.

They continue dancing into the night and by the end of it, the giddy fog that Ben is in has mostly dispelled. Maybe. A lot of the other partygoers have left already or chosen to bunker down in makeshift sleeping arrangements using some of the blankets and tenting that had been brought up earlier. He sees a comfortable-looking cuddle pile by the dying embers of one fire pit, and Thomas and Newt still wide awake by another fire, feeding each other roasted marshmallows. Ben and Gally decide to head back to the encampment, grabbing a lantern first to light the way. A comfortable silence enshrouds them as they walk back, hand in hand. It’s been a long night and–

\--

_ Thump. _

_ Thump-thump. _

He wakes to a dull ache that beats on his head with each beating of his heart. The bright light shining in from somewhere stings like something sharp and awful.  _ Where is the blanket? _ Ben pulls it over his head and wishes for the sweet mercy of slumber to overcome him again.

Something rumbles beneath his head. There’s a matching sound above him. It takes a moment for him to process it as Gally’s laughter, which he can feel because he’s lying on Gally’s chest.

“Mergh.” Words. That was not a word. But his throat is as dry as the scorched desert supposedly is, if that desert had also been filled with cotton.

He braves the deathly light of the world outside the blanket to blink blearily at Gally, who he is sprawled on top of.

Gally is propped halfway up the headboard on some pillows, watching Ben with an unbearably soft expression. The arm he has wrapped around Ben’s shoulder moves so now his hand is petting Ben’s hair like Gally can soothe away the headache. “Awake? Took you long enough.”

Ben has his eyes open only long enough to see Gally’s teasing smile for before he’s closing them in retreat to blessed darkness and lets his head drop back onto Gally’s chest. He attempts for words once more, voice still scratchy. “Why do you let me drink so much every time?” Every. Time.

Gally shifts a little but the hand on Ben’s head keeps carding through his hair in a gentle manner that does seem to actually be improving his headache.

“Take these and drink up.” Gally’s tone leaves no room for argument, what a bossy face.

Ben takes the offered painkillers, swallowing them will a sip of water and then slowly finishing the bottle. Each gulp of water is a sip of ambrosia to his parched mouth and likely dehydrated ass. It’s unclear if Gally had gotten them earlier in the morning or if he had prepared them last night because he knows Ben so well. Either way, the thoughtfulness provides much needed relief. Ben uses the hangover as an excuse to cuddle further onto Gally – one leg entangled between Gally’s and an arm across Gally’s chest – and they stay like that for a while, the only movement being Gally’s hand in his hair. They have never had this kind of time to simply melt into each other, uncaring of the outside world, and Ben takes full advantage.

Memories from last night trickle in slowly. The hike up to see a the vividly colors of the sunset, eating too much of the food and snacks,  _ drinking  _ too much. Challenging one of the group B girls to a handstand and handwalking contest, drinking more, dancing with Gally. There was something else, that he did, or needs to do…

That’s right.

_ Love you. _

_ You’re drunk. _

Gally had been emotionally oblivious as always. Ben feels his head clear up, can almost see the haze of thump-thumping pain dissipate, chased away by the urgency now flowing through his veins.  A glance around the room shows that they are in the one of the communal sleeping halls. Everyone still in bed seems fast asleep, likely tired out by yesterday’s festivities. A few empty beds indicate early risers have left to go about whatever business it is that early risers do.

Here and now isn’t ideal – it’s not private or romantic, especially considering the soft snoring coming from the other side of the room. But how can anyone expect Ben to contain the words that now threaten to spill out, as unstoppable as the ocean waves crashing onto their shore each day?

Ben shifts up to a sitting position, pulling out from under Gally’s arm but keeping their legs still tangled together, so he can properly convey the truth of what he’s about to say. Gally looks startled by the sudden movement; his eyebrows are furrowed in confusion – Ben resists the temptation to kiss the space between them – as he shoots Ben a questioning look. Ben grabs Gally’s hands and holds them close to himself as he dives right in. What needs to be said is long overdue.

“I love you, Gally. I started falling in love with you the moment you gave me a hand out of the Box, I knew that I loved you from the moment we first kissed, I have only loved you more with every moment spent with you and every moment spent away from you.”

The certainty Ben’s tone leaves no room for argument, just as his words leave no room for misinterpretation. Time for things like hesitation and hiding is over. Back in the Maze, they had been kids who didn’t know anything, but even then, Ben had known that what it was that he and Gally had between them. 

Things don’t often take Gally by surprise; even when they do, Gally is generally quick enough on his feet that he can adapt to the situation at hand. But now, Gally seems shocked speechless, eyes staring in wonder at Ben. Gally pulls one hand out of Ben’s hand and uses it to cradle Ben’s face as he responds, “I love you too. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve the love of an angel in person but,” he strokes his thumb over Ben’s cheek to quell the protest Ben wants to give about Gally not deserving it, “I love you too. Always.”

The warm smile Gally gives him is too much to resist. Ben leans over for a kiss that starts chaste but deepens as they shift to a more comfortable angle. Gally’s hand, now holding his head, pulls him impossibly closer as fingers thread through and grip his hair. Ben ends up straddling Gally and minutes pass in a haze of wet kisses mixed with gentle affirmations.

Then a pillow hits them from the side.

A sleepy Chuck is half-heartedly glaring from just out of his covers a few beds over. “Get a room. No sex in communal space.”

Gally is quick to respond. “Chuckie, if you think this is what sex looks like, we have not sufficiently covered that part of your education.”

“Ugh, you’re the worst. Just shoot me again.” Chuck pulls his blankets over his head, perhaps in an attempt to ignore what’s happening, or maybe just to get more sleep in. The moment has broken though, and when Gally looks back at Ben, they both burst out laughing. Ben can’t even be annoyed as he snickers into the crook of Gally’s neck. What a morning.

“Speaking of rooms…” Ben looks up just in time to seem a slight blush paint over Gally’s cheeks.

“Yeah?”

“We’re planning to build more long-term, private residences soon. Do you want to move in with me when they’re complete?”

“Of course! You only had to ask.” As if any other choice could appeal more to Ben. There’s nothing more Ben would want than to build a home and future with Gally. It won’t be easy. Ben knows that it won’t be all sunshine and rainbows, or sunsets and dancing. But they have managed to fight against all odds to make it here: Ben’s banishment and supposed death by Grievers; Gally’s almost death by spear; finding each other and their freedom all at once in Safe Haven. As Ben takes in the incandescent delight on Gally’s face, he knows will continue to fight for their future and will never give up on what they have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! ❤️ Kudos are very much appreciated and please let me know what you liked in the comments! Also let me know if there are typos.
> 
> I am taking prompts for this series! No promises as to if I will be able to write it, but leave suggestions in the comments for what you want to see!
> 
> Find me on tumblr [here](http://faiasakura.tumblr.com/).

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr [here](http://faiasakura.tumblr.com/).


End file.
